The Golden Age of Lager Is Here—and These Festivals Prove It

In early June, Tyler March, the co-founder and head of operations for Brooklyn’s Wild East Brewery, took to social media with a seemingly simple question: Is this the golden age of lager beer festivals?

His brewery was getting ready for a marathon month that would see them serving the brew at the fourth-annual Logjammin’ Lager Fest in Philadelphia; Forever Lager at Notch Brewing in Brighton, Massachusetts; and Pils and Love at Threes Brewing, a brewery in Brooklyn just two blocks away from his.

With that dance card, his question answered itself. The deeper question might be: my gosh, did we get here?

Lager Beer Catches Up to the Craft Scene

Beer festivals are nothing new, and niche events have been around for decades. That there are now at least a half dozen lager-specific festivals in the craft beer space is something to examine.

When microbrewing, now known as craft, started in the late 1970s, grew in the 1980s, and then hit its stride in the early 2000s, it was largely done on the back of ales. India Pale Ale came into mainstream fashion, and small brewery tap lists were filled with stouts, porters, extra special bitter, wheat beers and amber ales.

There were several reasons why small brewers embraced ales. Ales require less time in fermenters than lagers, meaning it can be served quicker to keep up with demand. Ales are also better at hiding flaws, like off flavors.

Lager beers, often made by large multinational brewers who had the process down to a science, were derided as simply making fizzy yellow water, ignoring the dominance on shelves and wider consumer preference.

As craft brewers matured, they started making lager beers of their own. They improved their skills, scaled their equipment down and started to notice that their customers wanted a craft alternative to Corona, Budweiser and Oktoberfests.

It’s also what they were drinking themselves. At conferences, at beer festivals and during post-shifts, it was not uncommon to see brewers drinking Miller High Life, Coors Banquet or Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Years ago, at Hunahpu's Day, an imperial stout focused festival hosted by Cigar City, brewers were in their designated lounge drinking the brewery’s Helles Lager while the crowds drank double digit abv ales under the searing Tampa, Florida sun.

“I think it's pretty clear at this point that the maximum-flavor-at-all-times bubble has burst,” says Mike Naclerio of Threes Brewing, which hosted its fifth Pils and Love in late June. “Don't get me wrong, the IPA is far from dead but lager is finally having a moment. Brewers have long been calling for a resurgence of lager brewing and more importantly drinking, but the drinker is finally here for it.”

Ken Correll of Philadelphia’s Human Robot Beer agrees. He started Logjammin’ in 2020, using a loophole in the city’s COVID-era restrictions. He says that the drinker who comes to his festival, which is now an anchor event of Philly Beer Week, is looking for something different from the endless hazy IPAs or adjunct stouts that dominated small events for the last decade and a half.

“If you’re coming to a lager festival, you like beer and also understand the difference between the different kinds of lager, you can taste the nuance, and appreciate the skill,” he says.

Outside of festivals, there are now small breweries around the country that are solely focused on lager, like Bierstadt Lagerhaus and Cohesion Brewing in Denver as well as Goldfinger Beer in Downers Grove, Illinois, which give drinkers a small batch, well-crafted fix.

“These brewers don't just brew lager because it's a cool thing to do, they didn't jump on a bandwagon because sales trends told them to do so,” says Naclerio. “Everyone at this festival has made a long-term commitment to giving lager brewing its due in the modern American beer scene.”

Lager Beer Festivals Worth Visiting

If you’re looking to sample the best lager beers brewing today, consider visiting one of these festivals.

Forever Lager

This thoughtfully curated list of breweries and beers is organized by Massachusetts’s Notch Brewing Co.—one of the finest breweries in the country. A casual pay-as-you-go event with a live music component, this festival has the feel of a comfortable low-key party surrounded by some of the best brewers in the country.

Logjammin’

An anchor event of Philly Beer Week, this raucous festival celebrates lagers of all kinds from thoughtful brewers. With bands, food and fun, it’s become a bucket-list event for serious beer fans.

Pils of Love festival — Image Courtesy of Threes Brewing

Pils and Love

This festival is a continuation of Pils Pride, a European event that started in 2008. Since 2018 it has been hosted in the U.S. by various breweries. “We started this very small concept of a Pilsner-only festival, dedicated to the passionate brewers and loving drinkers who held onto the style and kept it alive during times when ‘extreme’ craft beers seemed to be all the rage,” said Giovanni Puglisi of Birrificio Italiano in 2018.

Little Beer

It’s true that not every beer poured at this annual springtime festival is a lager, but most of the attending breweries bring one to pour. Hosted by the thoughtful Good Word Brewing, and held on the town green in the charming city of Duluth, Georgia, this low-abv event is the epitome of Southern hospitality.

Foamo

More of a tap takeover event than proper festival, the inaugural event earlier this year presented by Burial Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina's featured a dozen breweries from around the country. Pick any beer off the list and it won’t be a bad decision.

Headwaters Lager Festival

The Montana-specific lager festival, organized by Bridger Brewing in Montana, features 15 breweries showcasing local Pilsners and more. It’s a “chance to indulge in the rich beer culture of Montana, contribute to a great cause and enjoy an unforgettable experience,” according to organizers.